Steven Nehl/The Oregonian/2006A gillnetter fishes in the Columbia River near Astoria.

Three weeks after supporters of a ballot measure to curb gillnetting on the Columbia River suspended their campaign, the politicking continues around the combustible fishing issue.

The environmental groups that backed Measure 81 have raised another $150,000 from Olympia businessman Norman Brenden, who also provided much of the money to put a proposed ban on commercial gillnetting on the ballot in the first place.

Jeremy Wright, spokesman for the anti-gillnetting forces, said the money won't go to trying to pass the measure. Instead, he said it will be used to build support for an alternative proposal put forth by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber that would restrict gillnetting to much more limited areas off the mainstem of the Columbia.

Kitzhaber is pushing the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to move in that direction -- something that will be debated after the election.

In addition, the environmental groups also won support this week from the two candidates in the race for Washington governor, Democrat Jay Inslee and Republican Rob Mckenna. Both said they back Kitzhaber's proposal in a voter's guide put out by the Washington Angler's PAC, meaning that the two states sharing the lower Columbia could well be poised to work out a joint agreement.

Meanwhile, commercial gillnetters from the Astoria area continue to run their campaign against Measure 81. They're run TV ads and sent a letter to voters decrying the proposal.

David Reinhard, a Salem lobbyist working on the Salmon for All campaign, said that the commercial fisherman have to make sure the measure fails -- particularly since opponents of gillnetting continue to decry the practice, at least in online videos.

Wright said his side did offer to run a joint commercial against Measure 81, but Reinhard said his sides couldn't accept the terms. For one thing, they oppose Kitzhaber's proposal and weren't willing to speak favorably of it in an ad.